Sounds of the game… Bruins 2, Islanders 1

Posted By
Mike Petraglia
On
March 14, 2009 @ 4:07 pm
In
General |
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Anyone who watched Phil Kessel[1] play the first half of this season knows how integral he was to the success of the Bruins.

His coach took the occasion of his 30th goal on Saturday during Boston’s 2-1 win over the Islanders to remind him of just that.

“He’s what you saw tonight, a game-breaker,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said[2]. “Phil is the type of player that, when he’s on his game with his speed, his shot, his skill level, he can certainly be a game-breaker type of player.

And everyone in the Will McDonough Press Room at the Garden knew there was a ‘but’ coming.

“Having said that, when he doesn’t compete the way he’s been competing the way he’s been competing lately, he’s a player that doesn’t bring as much to the table,” Julien continued[3]. “This is what you need from guys like Phil, and from young players, to be able to develop into being better players, bringing a compete level, night-in and night-out.”

Talk about laying it on the line and not mincing words. Julien clearly wants his team to be ready for April, May and hopefully beyond. And he realizes he needs his young talented players to be prepared for the intensity that awaits them.

Kessel, who became the first Bruins 30-goal scorer since teammate Patrice Bergeron[4] scored 31 in 2005-06, scored No. 30 and Boston’s first goal in the first period. Then, just 65 seconds later, he fed a beautiful pass to Marc Savard[5] for the second Bruins goal.

‘It’s a nice milestone,” Kessel said of reaching 30 goals. “(I have) a lot to attribute to my teammates and the linemates I’ve been playing with this year. They find me quite a bit, so I’m fortunate to be playing with some good hockey players this year.’